April 2013 - New England Patriots Wiretap
The New England Patriots will keep Rob Gronkowski on their active roster to begin the season.
Gronkowski was a candidate for the physically unable to perform list, which would have meant he'd miss at least six games.
There is still uncertainty as to Gronkowski's timetable to return to game action.
The New England Patriots have cut Tim Tebow.
Tebow was signed by the Patriots in June more than a month after being released by the New York Jets.
Tebow finished the preseason with a 47.2 passer rating while completing 36.7 percent of his passes.
The New England Patrios have released a pair of tight ends in Daniel Fells and Jake Ballard.
The move suggests that the Patriots will keep Rob Gronkowski off the PUP list.
Zach Sudfeld and Michael Hoomanawanui are behind Gronkowski on the depth chart at tight end.
The New England Patriots are leaning toward activating Rob Gronkowski from the physically unable to perform list.
If Gronkowski remains on the list, he would be unable to return until after Week 6.
Gronkowski is unlikely to play in the first few weeks of the season if he is activated now.
The New England Patriots have released Ras-I Dowling.
Dowling was the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft at cornerback out of Virginia.
Dowling has battled injuries throughout his tenure with the Patriots.
According to a long form journalism piece in Rolling Stone, Aaron Hernandez was a "heavy user" of angel dust and began carrying a gun at all times because he had become paranoid.
The magazine alleges that Urban Meyer "may have helped cover up failed drug tests."
Before Hernandez was arrested for first degree murder, Bill Belichick was “infuriated” over his missed practices and other issues during the spring of 2013, and he was “one misstep from being cut.”
The NFL has six head coaches with absolute final say on player personnel decisions in Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins, Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints, Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles and Jeff Fisher of the St. Louis Rams.
Belichick and Payton are the longest tenured coaches of the group, while Kelly and Fisher were hired over the past two offseasons.
The NFL's other head coaches have varying degrees of control depending on how the power dynamic with the general manager is structured.
Rob Gronkowski was spotted on an ancillary practice field at the New England Patriots' practice facility.
Gronkowski is on the physically unable to perform list, but he looked fluid in his movement drills.
Gronkowski is recovering from offseason back surgery.
Ryan Mallett went 12-for-20 for 137 yards and a touchdown on Thursday in a performance that drew widespread criticism on Twitter.
Mallett looked especially bad in his first two series with several erratic throws.
“I felt like I got into a rhythm eventually,” Mallett said following the game. “I just got to start faster.”
"Okay I'm piling on here but Ryan Mallett is simply awful," wrote RealGM's Jeff Risdon. "He's just not a NFL quarterback."
Mallett has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors, but it is currently hard to see a team believing in him as a potential starting quarterback at this point in his development.
"Ryan Mallett hasn't shown anything in this preseason that will convince an NFL GM to trade for him and make him a starting QB," wrote Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
With Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork and Logan Mankins in their thirties, Aaron Hernandez likely in jail for the rest of his life, Rob Gronkowski is the best franchise player option for the New England Patriots despite concerning injury issues. His counterpart, Jairus Byrd, remains in relative anonymity with the Buffalo Bills despite Pro Bowl seasons in 2009 and 2012 at safety. Gronkowski was instantly productive as a rookie in 2010, catching 42 balls for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns, but his 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2011 made the football community reimagine what is possible at the tight end position. Gronkowski led the NFL in receiving touchdowns that season while finishing sixth in receiving yards and fifth in total receptions. Bill Belichick has always loved the possibilities of the tight end position due to the matchup issues and versatility of players as big and athletic as Gronkowski. Not only is Gronkowski the most dynamic receiving tight end, but he is also an excellent blocker in run situations. He is basically the LeBron James version of Mark Bavaro and impacts the Patriots’ offense more than any other player not named Brady. The issue with Gronkowski, who is still just 24 years old, is his injury history that dates back to college when he had back surgery. Gronkowski had another back operation this past offseason and he has had several operations on his forearm. The back is the more serious issue and could eventually shorten the duration of his prime, while his broken forearm dates back to Week 11 of the 2012 season and caused him to be limited in the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLVI loss to the New York Giants. Assuming Gronkowski can return to full health, he will reclaim his spot as one of the ten most valuable players in the NFL. Byrd was the 42nd overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft out of Oregon and has already played in as many Pro Bowls as his father Gill Byrd. Like his father, Byrd was drafted as a cornerback but moved to free safety and led the NFL in interception as a rookie with nine. Byrd doesn’t have the size that some of his peers do in terms of laying hits up near the line of scrimmage, but his ball skills against the pass are unparalleled. Byrd finished the 2012 season with five interceptions, four forced fumbles, 76 total tackles and wasn’t beat over the top for a touchdown on a single play.
The Bills have yet to play in the playoffs during Byrd’s tenure as they continue to be mired in mediocrity, but pass defense is an area they have been competitive in large part due to his value in the secondary. Byrd will turn 27 in October figures to have another five seasons of production on par with what we have seen over his four.
